Updated with video: Gov. Riley declares state of emergency for Alabama as Ida approaches

View full size(Press-Register, Michelle Rolls-Thomas)John Lock and his son Adam Lock work to board up a window on their home in Daphne, Ala., on Monday Nov. 9, 2009, in preparation for Tropical Storm Ida. John Lock said he didn't think the storm was going to be anything major but just wanted to be cautious with this one larger window.

MOBILE, Ala. - Gov. Bob Riley today declared an official state of emergency in Alabama due to the imminent threat posed by Tropical Storm Ida. The emergency declaration enables the governor to invoke various emergency preparedness measures.

View full size(Press-Register/Mary Hattler)Gov. Bob Riley speaks at a dedication ceremony Monday, Nov. 9, 2009, at the Austal USA shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Ala. Riley used the dedication ceremony to announce that he has issued a state of emergency for Alabama as Tropical Storm Ida approaches.During a news briefing at shipbuilder Austal USA in Mobile, Riley urged Alabama residents to take the threat seriously and to follow the direction of local emergency managers for storm preparation.

"Based on the latest information I have seen, Alabama lies directly in the path of Tropical Storm Ida," Riley said. "We've weathered storms before and Alabamians have proven we know how to respond. Though it may not have the force of some of the storms we have dealt with in the past, we cannot afford to take Tropical Storm Ida lightly. The storm surge on the coast and flooding inland pose major threats which we all must take very seriously."

While state and local officials stressed that there is no need to panic, they urged caution during the Austal USA news conference at Austal USA, which followed a ribbon cutting ceremony for the shipbuilder's new manufacturing facility.

"Everyone in Mobile and Baldwin counties has been through this before, but we really don't know how substantial the damage could be," Gov. Bob Riley said. "The only thing I would like to do is encourage all the people who live in theses coastal areas to be careful with flooding, because we know there is going to be a tremendous amount of rain."

Brock Long, state emergency management director, said a storm surge of three to five feet is expected in coastal and low-lying areas, which combined with three to six inches of rain, will create flooding.

Ronnie Adair, Mobile County Emergency Management Agency director, urged area residents to watch local television stations for updates. He said county schools will close today at 1:15 and that shelters will start opening about 2 or 3 p.m. Evacuation, he said, is "a precautionary move for people in Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, and other low-lying areas.

"If they can stay with friends or neighbors that would probably be preferable to camping out on a concrete floor at a school, but we'll have that option available for people who need it," he continued.

Riley noted that while it's highly unusual for a tropical storm to strike in November, "if people react how they normally do down here we'll be fine."

According to Riley, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency has been directed to make appropriate assessments of damages and seek the necessary state and federal assistance for the affected areas, if necessary.

Among other things, the declaration allows the governor to invoke Alabama's price gouging law, which applies during times of a state of emergency issued by the governor.